Letter-feeding attachment for mail-marking machines



(No Model.)

J s. HANSEN. LETTER FEEDING ATTAUHMENT FOR MAIL. MARKINWMAGH'INHS.

No. 576,116. Patented P61), 2, 18.97.

E N g 1 f UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE.

JOHN S. HANSEN, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERI- CAN POSTAL MACHINES COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

LETTER-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR MAIL-MARKING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 576,116, dated February 2, 1897.

Application filed April 29,1896. Serial No. 589,582. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. HANSEN, of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Feeding Attachments for Mail-Marking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for postmarking mail-matter in which pieces of mailmatter, which will be hereinafter termed letters, are fed into a hopper, along which they are conveyed endwise between a printing-cylinder and an impression-cylinder. It is necessary that the letters be delivered to [5' the carrier singly in order that they may be presented one at a time to the printing mechanism.

The invention has for its object to provide an attachment for machines of this charac- 2o ter whereby the letters may be presented one part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a front elevation showing a part of a mailmarking machine with my improved letter-delivering attachment mounted'thereon. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

3 5 Fig. 3 represents a view similar of a portion 40 feed-table adapted to support a pack of letof Fig. 2 on a larger scale.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents an inclined ters b" b, the same being placed edgewise on the inclined surface of the table, as indicated in Fig. 2. The table a is provided with legs or supports a, which are preferably adjust- 5 able in height, so that the table can be supported at any desired distance above a base or platform I) on the mail-marking machine, the said platform being at one side of the hopper 1), into which the letters are dropped edgewise and along the lower portion of which the conveyer or carrier runs which conveys the letters to the printing mechanism. The table a is adjusted so that its lower edge is over the hopper Z), the letters issuing therefrom, as hereinafter described, dropping edgewise into the hopper and upon the carrier therein.

0 represents a shaft which is journaled in bearings cc, aflixed to the lower edge of the table a. To said shaft are affixed feed-rolls cl d, which are preferably coated with rubber or other yielding material and are located adjacent to the lower edge of the feed-table and separated therefrom by a narrow throat or outlet e, through which the letters can pass between the table and the feed-rolls. The feed-rolls project sufficiently above the lower edge of the table to bear against the lowest letter of the pack, the arrangement being such that when the feed-rolls are rotated their yielding frictional surfaces, being in contact with the outer surface of the lowest letter, drag said letter downwardly through the throat e, the next letter in the rear remainin g in its place in the pack, even though it mayproject slightly over the throat e, because the letter engaged by the feed-rolls slips freely on the letter bearing against it and does not impart motion to it, each letter remaining above the feed-table until directly engaged by the feed-rolls. The rotation of the feed-rolls therefore separates the lowest letter from the pack and delivers it to the hopper I), along which it is carried, by the conveyer, the other letters in the pack remaining on the feed-table and advancing as each letter is removed, so that the front letter is immediatelygrasped and ejected by the feedrolls. The operation is practically continuous, so that there is no appreciable distance between each ejected letter and the one following it.

To prevent liability of two letters being ejected side by side, in case there should be a tendency on the part of the letter engaged with the feed-rolls to drag down the succeeding letter, I provide belowthe throat e a yielding stop f, which, as here shown, is a bar or strip of metal havingacoating f of rubber. Said stop is arrangedin aninclined position,

its upper edge obstructing the throat c and its upper side bearing yieldingly against the feed-rolls d, the stop being yieldingly held in the position shown by means of a spring f which connects aframe f to which the stop is affixed, with the table a. The frame f is mounted to oscillate upon a bar 1, affixed to cars or lugs f on the underside of the table a.

The stop f is preferably covered with a material which does not take as strong a frictional hold on a letter as the rolls (1, the stop being, for example, covered with a harder quality of rubber than the rolls, so that there will be more friction exerted on a letter by the rolls than by the stop, and also more friction exerted by the stop on. a letter than by the next letter of the pack. Hence when the letter next to the letter engaged by the rolls bears on the stop it is prevented by the stop from being dragged downward by the letter engaged by the rolls.

It will be seen that when a letter is drawn downwardly by the feed-rolls its lower edge is somewhart deflected forward by the stop f, said stop yielding sufficiently to permit the letter to pass between it and the feed-rolls. In case the succeeding letter is pulled downwardly to any extent by the letter in contact with the feed-rolls its lower edge will abut against the stop f, which will prevent further downward movement of said letter.

9 represents a stop, here shown as a bar or rod located above the lower edge of the table a and above the point where the feed-rolls cl bear upon the lowest letter, said stop acting to support the pack of letters upon the table and hold them at the proper inclination to enable them to be readily drawn by the feedrolls into and through the throat e.

The feed-rolls (1 may be rotated by any suit.- able means, such as a crank 1' on a wheel or arm affixed to the shaft 0.

The operation is as follows: The table being placed upon the base or platform I), with its lower edge in suitable relation to the hopper Z), and a pack of letters being placed upon the table, the lower letter or member of the pack bearing against the feed-rolls cl and stop g, as shown in Fig. 2, the operator rotates the feed-rolls, thus causing them to deliver the letters one at a time to the hopper. The adjustability of the legs ct enables the table to be adjusted to conform to the width of the letters, so that when comparatively wide letters are being handled the feed-table maybe elevated above the conveyer a distance in proportion to the width of the letters. The described feeding attachment maybe mounted loosely upon the platform I), or it may be secured thereto or to any other suitable part of the machine. It is obvious that this feedin g or delivering device maybe used for any purpose to which it may be found adapted, its use not being limited to machines for marking mail-matter.

Vhile I have shown two feed-rolls separated from each other, it is obvious that a single feed-roll of suitablclength maybe employed.

I claim- 1. An apparatus of the characterspecified, comprising a feed-table inclined at an angle whereby articles placed thereon will slide down by their own weight, a feed roll adjacent to the forward edge of the table and arranged to bear on the front member of a pack of letters thereon, the periphery of said roll extending below the edge of the said table, and separated therefrom by a narrow throat or outlet which permits of the detachment of the lowest letter of the pack by rotation of the feed-roll, and a yieldinglysupported stop or guard located below the said table and adapted to normally obstruct said throat or outlet to prevent the passage of a letter except when the latter is forced downwardly through the said throat by the rotation of the said feed-roll and a rigid stopbar arranged in rear of the feed-roll whereby only the lower edge of each letter is presented thereto.

2. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising a feed-table inclined at an angle whereby articles placed thereon will slide down by their own weight, a feedroll adjacent to the forward edge of the table and arranged to bear on the front member of a pack of letters thereon, the periphery of said roll extending below the edge of the said table and separated therefrom by a narrow throat or outlet which permits of the detachment of the lowest letter of the pack by rotation of the feed-roll, a strip covered with rubber, and a frame pivoted to the said ta-' ble for supporting said strip which latter is arranged tangentially to the said roll to obstruct the said throat but which is adapted to yield to a letter forced downwardly from the pack through said threat by rotation of the feed-roll.

An apparatus of the character specified comprising a feed-table inclined at an angle to receive letters placed thereupon at an inclination thereto, and a stop-bar arranged in rear of the forward edge of the table, in combination with a feed-roll adjacent to the said edge of the table and separated therefrom by a narrow throat or outlet which permits of the detachment of the lowest letter of the pack, and a stop or guard located below the throat or outlet, and constructed to yield bodily to allow the feed-roll to draw a letter through the outlet.

4:. An apparatus of the character specified comprising a feed-table inclined at an angle to receive letters placed thereupon at an inclination thereto, and a stop-bar arranged in rear of the forward edge of the table, in com bination with afeed-roll adjacent to the said edge of the table and separated therefrom by a narrow throat or outlet which permits of the detachment of the lowest letter of the IIO pack, and a stop or guard located below the two subscribing witnesses, this 21st day of throat or outlet, and constructed to yield April, A. D. 1896. bodily to allow the feed-roll to draw a letter through the outlet, said stop or guard being JOHN HANSEN 5 mounted on a frame pivoted below the table. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have signed my HENRY B. RICE,

name to this specification, in the presence of A. D. HARRISON. 

